THE Countess of Chester Hospital’s newly installed patient touch screens are proving a huge hit with patients and staff.

The trust’s outpatient departments have seen a significant improvement in the patient appointment check-in process due to the touch screens.

Until recently, lengthy queues meant it could take a long time for a patient to check-in with outpatients reception – mainly due to the time-consuming nature of confirming personal details.

Consequently, the IM&T (information management & technology) department was asked to help in the development of a system to manage and reduce these queues.

IM&T conducted a trial last year to allow patients to electronically book-in using touch screens; the result was a resounding success – check-in times reduced by 75% and the patients remarked that they enjoyed using the screens.

The machines are currently being installed in outpatient departments across the trust, allowing patients to check-in and verify their Countess of Chester patient record.

To access their appointment and their information, the patient confirms their gender, month they were born and date of birth.

They are then asked to confirm their post code and if all the information is correct the patient receives a ticket that can be handed to a receptionist and they can immediately sit down in their waiting area.

The receptionist then scans the ticket to give them instant access to the patient record and they are booked into the clinic.